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A review by paulap
On Fragile Waves by E. Lily Yu
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
2.5
This book tells the story of an Afghani family and their trip to safety in Australia. It especially focuses on the experience of the children of the family throughout the travel itself, and not so much on the experience in the place they come from or the place the eventually go to. It is told in a short snappy style, with chapter that are just a few pages and makes it easy to read without compromising on beauty.
The book does portray the struggle of immigration, focusing especially on the travel itself. Although this is a interesting angle, I felt like the choice limited the depth to which this book could go on the discussion of how these people are uprooted and need to adapt to the new cultures. The choice to focus on the children does give the opportunity of exploring the intergenerational difference, but it further limits how much the conflict between cultures of different countries can be discussed, since the children are not so aware of those.
Overall I enjoyed it, but I wish it could have gone in more depth. This is an emotional book more than a thought-provoking book.
The book does portray the struggle of immigration, focusing especially on the travel itself. Although this is a interesting angle, I felt like the choice limited the depth to which this book could go on the discussion of how these people are uprooted and need to adapt to the new cultures. The choice to focus on the children does give the opportunity of exploring the intergenerational difference, but it further limits how much the conflict between cultures of different countries can be discussed, since the children are not so aware of those.
Overall I enjoyed it, but I wish it could have gone in more depth. This is an emotional book more than a thought-provoking book.